Most people dream of an early retirement but over the last 20 years, more Americansthan ever before are continuing to work past the age of 65.

While the pandemic caused a slight jump in early retirements, economists don't expect that to last. With many employers struggling to hire and retain talent, it can be harder for senior staff to leave. On the flip side, some industries offer competitive benefit packages and high salaries that allow workers to clock off early. 

Click or scroll through our gallery to discover the top 10 jobs that are most likely to employ the highest and lowest number of retirement-age workers, according to 2021 data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

It's no surprise that those who have spent decades climbing the ladder to the top want to stick around the business a little longer.

Management jobs, which range from chief executives to postmasters, have the highest number of workers aged 65 years and over.

A report by The Conference Board found that there were signifcantly more CEOs aged 70 and older in 2020 than there were in their 40s.

Management jobs almost always require a bachelors degree as a minimum. These roles tend to pay the highest wages among all of the USA's occupational groups, with a median annual salary of $102,450 as of May 2021.

The precise take-home salary varies according to the industry you're in. The average construction manager brings home $98,890 a year, for example, while a marketing manager can expect to make $133,380. Perhaps the money's just too good to call it quits...

The sales and retail sector spans everything from store cashiers to telemarketers, and retail work provides the majority of jobs for the nearly 1.2 million workers aged 65+ in this sector. 

Older Americans are increasingly working retail jobs into their golden years, a trend that started with the 2008 financial crisis. For some, it's a way to add extra income on top of what they get in social security or retirement pay, while others simply don't have a choice. 

Sales occupations also include agents who sell products like insurance, advertising, and parts. For many of these roles, agents are self-employed and more likely to lack the resources or knowledge to make sure that they are saving enough money for retirement at 65.

On a more positive note, getting a real estate license is often promoted as a great way for retirees to earn extra money and stay active.

Bookkeepers, secretaries, and customer service representatives are among the top jobs in this sector.

Technology and the ever-increasing presence of artifical intelligence are replacing many of the tasks that these occupations rely on, so it's perhaps little surprise that these roles are in decline according to the BLS.

However, despite this, office and administrative support roles make up nearly half of the part-time jobs that AARP recommends for retirees.

Some office and administrative support jobs are more specialist, and offer higher compensation as a result.

Salaries for executive secretaries average around $62,000 per year, while legal secretaries make around $47,700. The average annual salary across the office and administrative sector as a whole sits at $39,680, with lower salaries in healthcare and education-based settings bringing down the median.

In legal and executive secretarial roles, only 6% of workers are over the age of 65; in other industries, including healthcare, there is a higher percentage of older workers in admin roles.

One specific job in the transportation industry has an outstanding number of older workers: the role of school bus driver.

More than 20% of these jobs are held by people aged 65 years or older, with bus drivers aged 55 and up accounting for 58% of the workforce.

Many bus companies promote driver roles to retirees because it offers a winning combination of part-time work that allows people to stay active and connected to their communities.

Workers are unlikely to leave other transportation jobs when they hit retirement age. Many of these are in the trucking industry, where 8% of workers are over 65 years old.

Nearly two-thirds of truck drivers report they haven't saved enough dollars for retirement, while more than half don't have a retirement savings plan through their job according to research shared by Trucker News. 

In contrast, this employment group also includes jobs with higher numbers of early retirees, such as aircraft pilots, railroad conductors, and ambulance drivers. 

In the healthcare sector, doctors and registered nurses are the most likely to be working during their golden years.

While many physicians are expected to retire before they hit 65, they're actually more likely to stop working when they're 69 years old, according to various surveys that have been carried out around the world over the last 40 years.

One of the common reasons for delaying retirement is concern for their patients. With a shortage of family physicians available, it can be challenging for doctors to leave their practice if a replacement is unavailable.

It couldn't be more different for pharmacists, optometrists, and physical therapists: no more than 5% of these professionals keep working past the age of 65.

Very few people in healthcare start their careers before the age of 25, with the exception of jobs like pharmacy technicians.

Most roles in the sector require at the very minimum an undergrad degree or specialist training. Workers who are college-educated tend to retire later than those who aren't, according to data from the U.S. Social Security Administration. 

The teaching profession is one of the few that still offers a traditional retirement plan, with nearly all elementary, secondary, and special education teachers able to access it through their employers. 

Despite this, a high number of teachers are continuing to work once they reach 65. With a looming teacher shortage across the US, perhaps teachers, like physicians, may feel compelled to stay to support their students. 

Around 177,000 high school, elementary, and middle school teachers are still in the classroom after their 65th birthday. 

And nearly as many post-secondary educators are doing the same. Even professors at a community college will likely be required to have a masters degree, and at private or public universities, most will have pursued a Ph.D.

An advanced education means very few professors start their careers early, with the majority aged 35 or older. With an average annual salary of $79,640, it's no surprise that so many might want to keep working just a few more years. 

This sector covers a wide range of roles, including human resources staff, compliance officers, tax preparers, and insurance underwriters. 

Accountants, auditors, and management analysts are the occupations where workers 65 years and older are most likely to still be crunching numbers. According to the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, many accounting companies are struggling with succession planning as people prepare to retire.

This is particularly problematic for single-owner firms, who may even plan to delay retirement until they are past the age of 70.

However, the people who oversee salary and non-wage benefits for a company – and the ones most likely to be clued up on retirement – are more likely to be out the door on time. Just 4% of budget analysts, for example, work past the age of 65.

Cleaning and landscaping jobs require very few qualifications or prior experience, and provide significantly more opportunities for younger workers compared to other sectors.

Despite this, nearly 450,000 Americans age 65 or older are still working as janitors, maids or groundskeepers. With a median annual wage of $30,240, it's likely many can't afford to stop working; incomes are higher for those employed by schools, hospitals or other local government entities. 

This is especially true for lower-paying positions in fields such as hotel housekeeping, where workers have seen their wages stagnate. In many cases, those who clean the rooms aren't making enough per day to afford one night's stay in them.

When it comes to housekeeping and janitorial roles, supervisors are more likely to retire at 65 than their workers. Taking home an annual average of $15,000 more than their staff probably contributes to their earlier exit. 

Historically, manufacturing has been a powerhouse of the American economy, as well as a powerbase for many unions, which helped workers secure better-than-average pay and benefit packages.

In theory, this made it easier for people to retire at a younger age – yet production jobs are in the top 10 of occupations most likely to have older retirees.

Around 380,000 Americans who are of retirement age are still working in manufacturing, making everything from pet food and ice cream to pesticides and planes. 

However, union power has shrunk over the past few decades and many jobs aren't as well-paid as they once were. The struggle to attract younger recruits has also seen companies try to tempt older workers to stay on or return with more flexible hours.

While this sector has the 10th highest number of workers aged 65 or older, it also includes various roles that have much younger retirees, too. 

Many construction employees have little choice but to stop work due to injuries, with chronic back and shoulder problems all too common. Likewise, coal miners who have spent their working lives in dangerous and cramped conditions are most likely unable to keep working into their 60s or 70s. 

The demanding nature of these jobs and a history of strong union representation have also helped many older workers secure more generous retirement packages.

That said, there are nearly 360,000 Americans who are still working in construction or extraction jobs, despite reaching the age of retirement.

More than 15% of these workers are in carpentry. With a construction skills shortage looming, industry groups have warned that the number of entry-level carpenters has declined over the last 10 years.

A healthy backlog of work swamping the industry may be preventing some older workers from retiring. 

Mechanics and automotive repair jobs make up a significant portion of this sector, which has the 10th lowest retirement-age workforce. 

Only 5% of employees are age 65 or older and pension plans tend to vary by employer, with car dealerships and aircraft roles offering more comprehensive benefits.

Meanwhile less than 60% of autobody companies offered their workers retirement benefits in 2016. In a bid to remedy that, industry group SCRS has since launched its own 401(k) program for member companies.

Other jobs in this category see significantly fewer older workers, such as wind turbine service technicians, power line repairers, and commercial divers.

Working at great heights – or depths – can be physically demanding and while workers can make good money, this might still motivate employees to retire before they hit 65.

Social workers, counselors, and clergy make up the ranks of community and social service jobs in the US.

Only 244,000 people of retirement age are still working in this sector, and 40% of those are clergy and other religious workers. Retirement age can vary according to faith.

At the same time,  very few people under the age of 25 work in community and social service. Most roles require at least a bachelor's degree and for jobs like school counselors or marriage therapists, a master's degree is essential.

Social workers make up nearly one-third of this sector and with their employers often schools, hospitals or government agencies, they generally have access to comprehensive benefits and can retire by 65. 

Tied with community and social service occupations, there are also 244,000 Americans aged 65 or older working in the personal care and services industry, with hairdressing and childcare the most popular jobs.

While many have a passion for their work, barbers and salon employees are on their feet all day and may experience repetitive stress injuries as they get older. For those who have the means, retiring by or ahead of 65 can prove to be a smart move.

Likewise exercise trainers, group fitness instructors, and other recreation workers are unlikely to stay in these roles past retirement age. 

The personal care and services sector includes everything from animal trainers to bellhops, and the age of the average worker is skewed quite young at 36.8 years. It may be that many employees in this sector move on to other careers rather than retire early.

At 29 years old, the average age for food preparation and service workers is the lowest across all the sectors.

With 76% of Americans in this sector under the age of 45, it's probably most likely that bartenders, servers, and fast-food workers move into other careers as they get older, rather than retiring entirely.

Focusing specifically on workers in the fast-food industry, access to retirement benefits is uncommon. With pay often tied to the minimum wage, many wouldn't make enough money to pay into a pension plan even if they did have one.

However, this may change as restaurants increasingly struggle to hire and retain staff. McDonald's announced in summer 2021 it would roll out a new benefits package to help entice job seekers.

How and when this will be delivered will vary from franchise to franchise, and whether this plan will keep older workers in roles that are pretty exhausting is yet to be seen...

While many larger law firms have mandatory retirement ages, law is also a profession that attracts high rates of burnout. Both of these factors may contribute to how few lawyers wind up working into their golden years, with only around 11% still employed past retirement age. 

Law firms are also likely to offer competitive and comprehensive benefits to its employees, making it easier to leave the courtroom once and for all.

Judges seem to be the exception in the profession, with around 20% staying in their jobs past retirement. There are mandatory retirement ages for judges in 32 states and those can range anywhere from 70 to 90 years old.

The United States Supreme Court has no term or age limit. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, pictured at her confirmation hearing in 1994, is the most recent to die while still serving; she passed away at age 87 in 2020. 

Only 3% of Americans in these industries are 65 or older. With many employers offering competitive compensation, a comprehensive retirement plan is often guaranteed for workers; for example, Microsoft, Amazon, and Google all offer employees a 50% match, up to certain limits. Apple does similar, increasing the figure to 100% after five years of service.

Along with the six-figure salaries that are commonplace in these industries, these juicy retirement prospects are likely to make retirement at 65 an appealing prospect.

Of the 181,000 Americans still working in computer and mathematical occupations in their later years, they're most likely employed in software development – though that said, just 2% of web and software developers are still working once they turn 65.

It goes both ways: there's also a smaller number of employees aged under 25 years in these fields due to education and training requirements. Just 6% of software developers are aged between 20 and 24 years, for example.

More than three million Americans work in the architecture and engineering industry, and only 173,000 are still practicing after age 65.

This accounts for 5% of the workforce, with civil engineers and architects the most likely to stick around for longer.

Most engineers tend to retire at 65 and return to their industries in consulting or other part-time roles, often in exchange for higher pay. This may explain why there is such a low rate of retirement-age workers in this sector.

Fewer than 5% of aerospace, industrial, and mechanical engineers are still working at 65, while biomedical, nuclear, and mining engineers all likely to be out the door even quicker. 

Why? Well, with higher-than-average incomes, engineers can easily afford to contribute more to 401(k) and other retirement savings plans. 

Police officers, firefighters, and criminal investigators are very likely to retire before they turn 65.

Only 171,000 Americans worked in these jobs past retirement age in 2021, and nearly half of those were employed as security guards, which makes sense when you consider that many cops pick up security work after retiring from the force.

In major US cities, police and firefighters are eligible to apply for a service pension from the age of 50. In New York, this can happen even sooner, with the requirement set by years of service rather than age. Depending on whether you started before or after July 2009, you need 20 or 22 years of service to qualify for full pension and health insurance benefits.

However, working in protective service occupations can obviously be extremely strenuous and dangerous; firefighters, for example, are exposed to many risks that span both physical and mental health.

As we age, we're also increasingly more at risk of injury and illness, which require longer recovery times that can be expensive for local governments. It's no surprise the median age for the typical American firefighter in 2021 was 39.7 years.

This is a broad category that incorporates professions ranging from food scientists and school psychologists to nuclear technicians and astronomers.

Just over 100,000 Americans in these jobs are working past retirement with psychologists, particularly those who work outside of school settings, the most likely to work past 65. On the flipside, scientists – who make up the majority of the category – are less likely to work once they hit retirement age.

There are a few exceptions. Economists, astronomers, and physicists all continue to work later in life compared to their peers. Many of these Americans work in academia, where people are increasingly likely to work into older ages.

However, this does cause issues for budding professors, with schools unable to hire until older academics retire.

Only 92,000 American workers in the agriculture, forestry and fishing industries are age 65 or older. The vast majority of these are employed in farming roles, with many unable to imagine giving up work.

Agricultural workers are far more likely to be self-employed, and are far less likely to have a retirement savings plan.

In the forestry sector, however, most workers are 25 to 54 years old, while commercial fishers along the Gulf Coast are most likely to retire at the age of 51.

Both of these industries require working under hazardous conditions while doing physically demanding work, which can prove exhausting to do into old age. Industries like logging often offer hazard pay that could tempt worn-out workers to make extra cash in their later years. 

Now discover which US states are the best to retire to in 2022.